Siren Song
by ObtuseHypotenuse
Summary: When you're given a second chance, sometimes you habe to be selfish. Reincarnation SI-OC AU. RATED M for Future violence and themes.
1. Prologue

Author's note: This is written entirely for fun. I was inspired by these other self-insert stories ( Catch Your Breath by Lang Noi, The Unwoven Threads of Fate by Diadru, and Beautiful Harmony by LunarButterfly121423 ) so I thought it would be fun to take my old fan character from ages ago, clean her up, fix her around a bit and put myself in an Alternate Universe too.

There are going to be a lot of headcanons for the universe in here, because hey imagination amirite?

Feedback is always welcomed!

-A-

Prologue

I live a pretty simple life. I go to work retail during the day, do commissions in the evening, and when my roommate gets home from work I help them make dinner and we talk about the day's drama. Our apartment is roughly the size of a large classroom with a couple of dividers to imitate a floor plan and located right above the community washers and dryers. I swear this is relevant.

My roommate texted me that they were going to be late. Cool. I can just start dinner and they can help me finish it off when they get here. I took out a pot and some noodles and waited for the water to boil. I sat back and played on my phone- you know the usual thing to do when waiting on something. It took six full seconds for me to feel how warm the floor beneath me was as I sat, and another three seconds for my entire apartment to be engulfed in flames.

I stumbled around my kitchen trying to exit but in hindsight, I almost wish that I had stayed put because the moment I put my weight on a different part of the kitchen floor, my leg fell through and the sensation of pure heat was enough to make me scream in agony. Fire was eating away at me to the point where I couldn't feel it after a while- I was barely conscious when someone had pulled me from the floor and outside. It was freezing out there and I could feel a new type of burn seep into my bones. How I was alive, I had no clue, but hell I couldn't speak.

I could hear still, kinda. The ringing in my ears was overbearing- and the sirens. I was moving still- an ambulance maybe, but I couldn't be sure. I felt extremely tired, the pain was starting to numb, and then I fell asleep.

I lived a pretty simple life.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One: A More Comfortable Heat

So let me clear up something. Before I died, I didn't have any belief about what happened when a person died. I didn't believe in a god, reincarnation, or even nothing. When I died I was unsure of what happened when a person died- but now I have a general idea. I think.

I can't move or open my eyes but I can hear voices. Not English mind you, but the three years of Japanese I had taken during high school gave me a vague idea of what was being said- mind you my knowledge of the language had shrunk in the years that I wasn't in school.

So cool, reincarnation is my guess. I'm a little concerned about how I still have my previous memories, but I guess that could be sorted out later. How much time do I have in here? I kind of hope that reincarnation doesn't start as a zygote- but I guess I wouldn't feel that I couldn't move if I didn't have limbs.

I'll spare you the birth and cleaning up bits, and the gore of it all- probably should have done the same about me leaving this world but I digress. From here on out I'm going to summarize to where I am presently.

Age One: Found out my name is Honoka Suzuki, and that lo and behold I was born into a village in the Yukigakure. I say "a" because I found out that there are like 10, and they are all small, and mostly at civil war with each other. My initial freak out is now mostly over as I have come to terms with the fact that I am living in a fucking fictional world. Mostly.

Age Two: My father here died today apparently- which does make me sad in an "I miss someone who was taking care of me" sort of way. So ninja family and clan from what I get, because there are a lot of people who look alike here. It's a lot like Montana in that aspect.

Age Three- Four: I began a lot of training. I mean a lot of it. They crammed so much taijutsu in here that I was actually asleep as much as possible in my free time.

Age six- seven: Started on basic ninjutsu and genjutsu. Also started my family's signature jutsus and let me tell you now, I feel like I'm straight out of a Disney movie.

-A-

Essentially, there are two ways this can go. Sing for Genjutsu or Ninjutsu, and so far I'm leaning more towards ninjutsu. By using chakra I can amplify my voice and actually use the force of self-created sound waves in either a defensive or offensive manner. It's rad, but takes a toll on your voice and chakra. Right now I can make a barrier the size of my head and have it last for like 10 seconds if I strain myself enough.

Also- pretending to be a kid has been taking its toll on me. I've started writing so I can spare myself some sanity and have a (conversation?) chat? Whatever this should be called with myself.

Here we are now then. Eight years old and starting training with two boys from two other clans that happen to share the same technique, but handle it differently. From what I could get from my mother, is that they tend to focus more on offense than defense, and occasionally genjutsu. Smart way to even things out to be honest.

Honoka's focus was torn from the book she was writing in when two boys walked into view. They were odd looking, considering the rest of the people in her clan. Both boys had dark hair, eyes, and pale skin; while she herself had blonde hair, tan skin, and green eyes. It was also known now that she was a little short for her age, clocking in at three inches shorter than the two boys.

"Oi!" The one on the right piped up as they got closer, earning himself a punch on the shoulder and a mumbled "be polite" from the boy on the left. Snickering, she watched as the duo stopped in front of her and the tree she was leaning on.

"Suzuki Honoka." The blonde politely bowed, barely keeping the laugh in its place in her throat. "Pleased to meet you." She straightened her back and waited to see how the two would respond.

"Akiyama Kuro" The one that had reprimanded the other finally spoke up. "Pleased to meet you."

"Hamada Tadashi" He didn't bow at first and had a huge grin on his face. After a moment, he was elbowed by Kuro, finally taking his bow.

Tucking the book into the pouch on her hip, Honoka listened as Tadashi started to ramble on about his training and skill sets. Kuro eventually spoke up about his own values and skill set, giving her a look of curiosity as she had only introduced herself so far.

"I can protect myself defensively." She rubbed her neck a little. "Although, Ma says that soon I'll be able to set larger traps and keep people in barriers if I train enough. My genjutsu is alright- I can hold a C ranked one for about 5 minutes."

Chakra control had been simultaneously difficult and easy for her. Easy, because she knew how it worked in theory; Difficult because she had a hard time applying it. There was so much she knew about this world, and yet so little. From what she got, most of the big villages were in times of peace, so this had to be around the same time as Naruto himself. However- the way things were looking, meant she would be fighting in the civil war as soon as she got comfortable with her team.

"Wanna spar?" Tadashi's voice managed to cut through Honoka's thoughts and she nodded slowly. "Alright! We can do one on one or all three of us against each other!"

Honoka shot a glance to Kuro and when he shrugged she responded.

"All three then. Show me what you've got!"

With that, all three jumped back to plan their method of attack.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Sorry..kind of.

I'M SO SORRY THIS IS WAY MORE THAN A MONTH LATE I HAD SCHOOL PROJECTS.

Author's Note: Thank you all for bearing with me, I've got a busy life but I still want to keep going with this story. I really appreciate reviews and if you have questions please ask! I may or may not get around to answering them. Thanks to 18 for being the BETA for this story! Thanks sis!

ALSO! -H- Is Honoka's reflections.

-H-

To be honest, when we all jumped back, Kuro and I fell into each other and kind of tumbled down into a pit. Tadashi found us not too long after but by then Kuro had a broken arm and I had a sprained ankle. Our first training was over before it was even really started. I'd like to say that it was a painless recovery but alas, life doesn't always give you what you want.

-H-

"I was leaning left, you should have noticed and jumped somewhere else." Kuro hissed from his spot at Tadashi's living room table.

Honoka placed her tea down, giving him a sideways glare. "The same could be said to you. _I_ was leaning right."

They glared at each other like that for another moment until Tadashi came back in from the kitchen. Upon his arrival, they straightened up and took it upon themselves to find different tasks. Kuro started fidgeting with his cast and Honoka found that the carpet had a lovely pattern to it.

"Alright!" Tadashi sat down in the seat across from Kuro and smiled. "SO even though we can't spar I thought we could still get to know each other!" He dropped a few board games and a deck of cards on the table. "I was thinking that there was no better time than now to do that!"

Honoka and Kuro deflated a little and shot each other a short glare. "How long are we going to be staying here doing this exactly?" Kuro asked making sure that he had a decent place to rest his arm.

"Every day until either we all know each other, or you both are healed up!" Tadashi opened the pack of cards and shuffled them. "Ready?"

-H-

We spent six hours listening to him ask us questions. Six. I can barely sit still for three, but I didn't have much I could do with the boot on my leg.

-H-

"Alright Kuro, " Tadashi leaned forward in his seat. "What's your favorite color?"

Kuro tiredly looked up from his cast. "Uhm.. I don't know- purple?" He moved so his head was resting on his good hand. "Maybe indigo?"

Tadashi considered this and stuck out his tongue. "That's just your clan's color. You're no fun. Honoka?"

Tadashi moved his gaze towards the blonde, who, at that moment was writing a page in her journal. He sighed and tapped the table in front of her.

"Honoka. Favorite color."

"Huh?" She jumped slightly, cursing under her breath once she realized she made a line across her notebook. "Uhm.. I don't know, orange is a nice color I guess."

"That's your clan's color too!" Tadashi groaned leaning back in his seat. "You're both so stereotypical!"

"Alright" Kuro snapped at the other boy. "What's your favorite color then? You've been asking us so many questions and not letting us ask many about you!"

Tadashi's face reddened, finding a sudden interest in the ceiling. "My favorite color is...yellow."

"HA!" Kuro jumped back in his seat. "You're no better than us you hypocrite!"

Honoka straightened up her shoulders a bit before sighing. She had learned more about her teammates, but the more she learned about their personalities, the more she realized that it was going to be a bumpy road ahead of them.

-H-

It took close to another half an hour for him to let us go back to our respective homes. I distinctly remember him fussing over me using crutches in the snow. He was always so kind.

-H-

"I know I can trust Kuro to walk home without help- it's only his arm that's messed up." Tadashi was walking ahead of Honoka, making prints in the snow for her to follow in.

"However, your problem is your leg. It would suck if something happened that prolonged our training."

Honoka rolled her eyes and pushed herself off from the step. "Yeah, well this isn't what I had in mind for my month either-" Her left crutch slipped and she quickly shifted her balance to the right one.

"I really wish this would have happened in the spring though, it's really inconvenient"

Tadashi chuckled a bit as he continued forward to her house.

"I bet. Can you believe I've never broken a bone? Dad told me if I did before I was a ninja, that I'd never be one."

Honoka raised an eyebrow at that statement. "I mean yeah, if you shattered it, it would be difficult to become a ninja because it would break easier...but I didn't break my leg though, just..sprained the leg and hurt it more than I would have liked." She paused to regain her balance. "Besides, Kuro needed more help home, if he fell on that arm again we would need another teammate."

Tadashi helped her get her crutch back to where it needed to be before turning. "He's capable of handling himself. I've known him since we were babies, so I wouldn't worry too much about the guy."

"If you say so, then I guess I won't."

They trudged on in silence for awhile longer. After around 15 minutes they made it to her compound. There were a few people milling about within it doing their own thing. Talking, bartering, trading. The two said their goodbyes and Honoka had trodden the rest of the way home.

Flopping onto her bed and closing her eyes, she prayed that the next few months would go by as smoothly as possible.

-H-

Little did I know, that would be one of my last few nights with my clan.

-H-

AN/ Again I apologize for how long that took to update but look forward to a more regular schedule.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: I was a Teenage Anarchist

ALSO! Party! A fast upload!

AN: I started writing this a few hours after chapter two and thought I would address a few things:

One: I love reviews, I feed off of them and for plot bunnies! Two: Thank you for the reviews so far! Three: Also, thanks again to my beta, who.. Didn't get to read this chapter before I posted it….ha.

"Honoka!" The blonde's bedroom door nearly flew off it's hinges as her mother came barrelling in. The woman started to throw some of her things into a bag as the younger girl stirred.

"Mom..? What are you doing?" Her eyes fluttered open to see her mom throwing a few of her shirts in a bag. Feeling a bit more awake she jumped up as best as she could. "What's happening, what's going on?"

"We need to leave and we need leave now." Her mother was tripping over her own feet as she pulled Honoka to hers.

"There hasn't been one since before you were born but another one broke out. We need to get out of our home country."

"Mom? Another what?" She scrambled to push herself onto her crutches. "You're scaring me."

Honoka's mother started pushing her out of the room. The girl was forced to walk on her boot that was on her foot. It stung but she kept going.

"War. War between the village and its sisters. You need to leave the country- I can't have you coming home until this is over. I'm not losing another to war. Go to the mist, we have family there. You'll be safe."

The bag she was carrying was shoved onto the young blonde's shoulders as her mother lead her out the back door. It was now she realized that the sky was still dark and that the sun wouldn't be up for another three hours. The sound of kunai and fighting was off in the distance behind her and no doubtedly in the street. Her mother took a smaller bag that had kunai in it and shoved it into her daughter's arms.

"Run."

-H-

I never did understand why saying one word in a dire situation was such a popular trope but I finally realized that, sometimes, there's nothing else to say. I do however, wish that I had a map back then, because I only had my senses to rely on to try to find my way to the hidden mist.

-H-

It had been hours since Honoka was in her home village and there seemed to be nothing for miles. Glancing down at her leg that was booted she finally allowed herself to acknowledge the pain that was eating away at her.

"I wish she threw in my medication.."

She mumbled softly as she started nursing what she could of it. After she did what could be done for her wound, she looked around her and decided to walk towards the mountain and try to find a small cave to rest in until she could continue.

It took her another two hours before she found something that looked habitable. Leaning against a wall fairly deep inside, she opened her pack and started looking at what she was given. The blonde noticed that she had a few spare sets of clothes, some pictures of her family, a couple pens, and some rations. Shaking her head and shuffling through her pockets, she was able to find a couple pens, gauze, and her journal.

"I guess I'll have to work with what I've got."

-H-

I spent a few days in that cave just for the fact that my leg was swelling. I managed to find a couple of pills deep in my jacket pockets and continued on my way. It would be another four days before I would reach the hidden mist. Looking back on it, I wish I had stayed in the cave.

-H-

I was allowed access into the village due to having my tags from home, and was sent straight to the administrative office to find my family.

"Your name miss?" A secretary who seemed rather bored looked up at Honoka.

"Honoka Suzuki."

"Age?"

"Eight."

"Village of Origin?"

"Southern Snow village."

"Alright, your mother's maiden name?"

"...I think it was Kimigawa."

The secretary nodded, finishing up writing her report.

"Alright Suzuki-san, I'll need you to wait in the next room while we look through our records."

The blonde nodded and walked into the next room. Sitting down she stared at the ceiling for a moment before taking out her journal and writing.

-H-

I don't have that journal anymore, now that I think about it. That one got destroyed during the fourth great ninja war. I do however, remember, writing something along the lines of:

 _I really wish I mom had come with me- I'm scared that they will say that no one under our family name lives here and I'll be kicked out._

-H-


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Fine, Great.

AN: So I started writing this chapter out when I got the free time in a class since I work on the assignments in there pretty quickly. More so now that I graduate next month, so the easier assignments are coming out. Again, thank you for your reviews! Please feel free to ask me things too, that way I can make sure to clarify them better in the future. Anyways, even though my beta reader hasn't been beta reading lately, the only reason you get this story is encouragement from _ and 18!

Update: Changed chapter 3 title. Saving the old name for a different chapter.

-H-

Life tends to be really, really rude. For my younger readers in this time of peace, it may be a bit harder to picture some of the horrors of our history and in turn some of my recordings here. Now as you may remember, I was reincarnated here, and in turn knew most of my life's events when I was born. Emphasis on knew. Like I said before, life is cruel and I have been going in blind since I was a genin. For some reason I don't think I'll even understand, I remembered a good chunk from my past life but the information on this world was shrouded by a mist so thick I couldn't get past it. So kiddies, always remember to write things down that you want to remember. Trust me, you don't want to miss a single thing.

-H-

The secretary had finally called out Honoka's name into the empty waiting room. She had been sitting anxiously for well over two hours. Stretching out her legs and popping her back, she made her way to the desk. This was it. The secretary pushed a paper in front of the young girl.

"I'm sorry to say that your relatives here have been missing for roughly two years. I'm afraid that is all I could find."

Taken aback and now panicking for her future. What was she going to do? Honoka politely thanked the secretary and left the building. Did she try to find a job and go back home once she heard that the snow was safe again? Did she go home? Hunt? The blonde didn't have long to think before she bumped into someone.

Falling back on her butt, she took a moment to orientate herself again before apologizing profusely to the person standing above her.

"I'm so sorry, I should have been paying attention to where I was going."

Her eyes finally focused on the figure standing above her who had a hand held out. Studying the figure she realized it was a boy about her age with blue skin- and rather shark-like features. _Okay, that's a little scary._ Shaking herself from her stupor she took his hand and tuned into what he was saying.

"-wasn't looking where I was going either." He finished as he pulled her up. "You seem out of place here- where are you from?"

"Northern Snow-" She dusted herself off a bit and checked the boot on her foot. It was still throbbing with pain but she was starting to live with it.

"Came to find some family here and stay with them awhile. Again, sorry for bumping into you."

Honoka took a small bow. "Suzuki, Honoka. Pleased to meet you."

Just because she was in a bad situation didn't mean she couldn't be polite still. There was an adult in there still, albeit masked up by the persona she took on from a "young" age.

The boy smirked and did a lazy half bow. "Kisame. Just make sure you don't bump into other people here. Forgiveness doesn't come easy here."

Before she had a chance to give a retort he walked off past her and she bit her lip. Was that a threat? Honoka didn't focus on it too long because she realized that she had to keep going and figure out what she was going to do.

After an hour of walking and thinking, she came across one of the few markets in the Mist and asked around about jobs. After another two hours, she found herself at a small bakery she was recommended to from a few stall owners. Taking a deep breath she entered the building and rung the front bell for the owner.

A rather gruff old man came out from the back wiping his hands on a towel. Not the kind of person she expected to work at one but she couldn't afford to come off as rude. Giving a bow to the man she kept her eyes glued to the floor.

"I'm here because I heard there was a job offer."

The man looked her over a bit before setting the towel down on the counter.

"Can you still walk alright with that boot?" He motioned to her leg.

"Yes, sir." He took another moment before speaking.

"Can you work with people, clean, or bake?"

"I baked with my mom a lot back home and would sit and help her at the market. I am capable of cleaning as well."

He nodded a bit for a moment before taking out a small paper from under the counter and a pen.

"Name and age."

"Suzuki, Honoka. Eight." Her green eyes flickered over as he was writing. Taking note that he paused before continuing her looked up at her.

"Poor family kid?" He shifted slightly. "Usually children only look for jobs if they are poor or orphans."

"Kinda. I'm from the snow and war just broke out." Honoka started playing with her hands.

"I'm stuck here alone until it's over."

The man sighed and looked down at her from the counter. He seemed to be thinking about something and placed his pen down.

"My name is Kyosuke. I've been running this bakery for twelve years. You can have the spare room upstairs, and pay is 600 ryo a week, however, that is without housing fees. Normally I start people off at 900, but I'll be taking that 300 and using it towards housing."

Honoka jumped a little on the inside. She had expected to maybe get the job, but not a place to stay too, but she wasn't going to argue.

"When do I start?"

"Tomorrow. We close soon. Go back into the kitchen and head up the stairs. The first room on the right is the bathroom, and the spare room is the one past that. I'll be up in twenty. Get yourself cleaned up and I'll make you something to eat."

She nodded and walked upstairs carefully, wincing when she put a little too much weight on her foot. Turning into the bathroom, she locked the door and looked at herself in the mirror. Honoka had seen better days in the past year, and today was not one of them. Leaves and twigs were stuck in her thick blonde hair, she had scratches all over her face, and was all in all, filthy.

Humming as she started the water she took out her notebook, wrote something down real quick, stripped, and jumped into the shower.

-H-

I'm going to tell you the one thing I stubbornly believe, both in my past life and in this one. Everyone should be required to do at least a year of customer service. They can do it longer if they'd like, but no less than one year. I mean it. If more people worked with customers I think they would be more likely to be nicer to those in services

-H-


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Work it.

AN: Thanks for bearing with me guys, I'm trying to update regularly! Thanks as always to my reviewers and my beta 18! Without you guys, this story probably wouldn't be continuing. Also Thanks to Emiliano733 for the plot bunnies!

-H-

Let it be known that I have quite the sweet tooth. Granted my body doesn't like sugar, and thus I get sick if I eat it often. This also applies to people. I enjoy sweet people, but sometimes they're a little too sweet.

-H-

"Alright kid, today I'll show you how to handle the front counter." Kyosuke took out a small towel to wipe down the counter with.

"The chores for being upfront are as follows," he tossed her the towel. "Make sure to wipe up the front counter, sweep the floor when it's slow, clean the glass display case often, and always handle customers with a smile. If someone starts causing trouble, press the button under the counter, and I'll be out in a flash."

Honoka nodded a bit and started going to work on the counter. Once Kyosuke went back into the kitchen, Honoka started to hum as she worked. Around three hours later the shop was presentable, stocked and ready to open. The young girl walked up and flipped the sign from "closed" to "open". For the first half hour it was considerably slow, but then the breakfast rush hit.

"We need more melon pan and blueberry muffins!" Honoka called out to the back.

"Melon pan in five, muffins in three!" Came her boss' response. "They'll be in the window!"

After the rush, Kyosuke pushed out a basket full of sweets. "I need you to run this down the road. Each morning they get the rejects."

Honoka took the basket with a smile, "You got it!" then ran out and down the road. After a minute she reached the building and looked up at it. It was rather depressing looking for a place that held children. She hoped the inside was better, and with a bit of caution stepped inside.

"Hello, how can I help you?" A woman looked up from her spot at the desk in the foyer with a smile on her face.

"Oh yea, I have a delivery from the bakery up the street. Kyosuke-san sent me."

The woman studied her, that smile never faltering. It would have been fine- but it didn't reach her eyes and made the younger girls feel uncomfortable.

"I wasn't aware that Kyosuke was hiring. Last I checked he liked to work alone. Well, none of my business! Congratulations on the job. I'll go take these to the kitchen staff. Wait here a moment would you?"

Honoka nodded slowly as the woman walked around the corner again. Once she was gone, the younger girl shivered and took the opportunity to study the foyer. It was considerably dull compared to any other orphanage she had seen. Children lived here? Mentally dropping her eight-year-old mask, the twenty-something in her knew that something wrong was going on here and that there was someone here who needed help.

 _But there is a chance maybe the upstairs and other rooms are better- I can't base everything I know off of just what I see... But what if something bad is going on here and those kids never get help. I'll have to keep an eye on this place..._

The woman had walked back in and cleared her throat taking Honoka out of her thoughts. Startled, the young blonde jumped back a good inch and bowed slightly.

"Sorry, I was just thinking."

"It's alright," The older woman smiled and handed her a card. "My name is Ayako. This is my card, if you find a child without a family, please, by all means, bring them here. We can keep them safe and give them a home."

Ayako's eyes bright yellow eyes burned their way into Honoka's memory. She smiled and thanked her before leaving the building. Once she was out, she booked it to the bakery, not stopping until she heard the sound of the bell behind her.

Honoka panted, leaning against the wall. Kyosuke had taken her spot at the counter while she was gone. The blonde looked up at him trying to catch her breath. He watched her with a puzzled expression which after a moment morphed into a look of understanding.

"Ayako was working today, wasn't she?" He spoke up after a moment. When he saw her nod he continued. "The eyes right?" Another nod from the blonde confirmed something for him. "I've always thought something was off with her. Glad to know that I'm not the only one."

He got up and tossed her the towel as he headed to the back. "Eat something and drink something. If you don't eat you won't have the energy to work. Feel free to take something from the case."

Honoka had been working for about a week with Kyosuke. Despite her first impression of him, he was a rather chill guy. He knew how to correct children when they were wrong- even if she wasn't a child, it was still nice. She was still going to the orphanage every morning and without fail was greeted by Ayako.

She was making progress. The counter could be wiped down in about a minute flat and the display case the same. None of her customers were real problems, a few of them snobby, but never too much for her to handle. If there was anything on her village, she hadn't heard about it yet. All that the young girl could do was hold her head up high.

"Oi. Break time." Came from behind her in the kitchen. "Take fifteen."

She smiled and took a cupcake from the display case. This world didn't have all of her favorite things from her past life- but the cupcakes Kyosuke baked made up for it. This particular one reminded her of strawberry shortcake. With a nice cream on the top with strawberry glaze and strawberry filling, she just couldn't say no to it.

Walking over to one of the small tables by the window, she sat down and started to eat her treat. This village was drastically different than the one she was born in and yet she felt comfortable here. Honoka was yanked from her thoughts when someone tapped the window in front of her. Regaining her composure and focusing her eyes again, the blonde was greeted by Kisame's grinning face. She waved at him and he turned to walk through the door. Once in he began to speak.

"Oh hey it's Hanako" He said walking towards her. "Been bumping into anyone lately?"

Honoka felt her eye twitch a little as she calmly corrected him.

"Honoka, and no. I haven't been Kimi."

He narrowed his eyes at her and pointed his finger at her.

"Hey, my attempt was close."

-H-

I'm used to being around people for the most part. I don't always like it and prefer to recharge on my own, but I know that it's important to keep your social radar high or else you could miss important cues. Such as someone's intentions. Those are some of the most important cues.

-H-


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: Trouble in the Pantry.

AN: I honestly have no clue how I've been updating this frequently and also going to apologize- a couple characters are a lil OOC because children. I need something for development, you know?

¨So like this guy was like,'I'm gonna beat you into the dirt fish boy!' and I was like, no? Then I totally showed him who is boss."

Kisame swiveled a bit in the stool he sat in front of the counter. He had been at the bakery everyday the past few weeks, buying small sweets and sitting talking to Honoka as she worked. He figured out what times were more dead in the shop and spent time telling her about his shenanigans in the academy. It interested her that he wasn't already a genin, afterall, back home she had already had a team.

Speaking of teams, she got into contact with Tadashi and Kuro and asked about how it was back home, how they were doing, and how her mom was. Honoka wasn't too happy with some of the news. Tadashi told her that they were hiding out on the outskirts of part of the village Hidden in the Mist, so it took a while for them to actually get the letter because they had to snatch it carefully. It did mean however that she could visit her team more often because they weren't in dangerous territory anymore. They were doing alright, Kuro's arm was healing well enough and they were training still, but neither knew about Honoka's mother and how she was doing. The last they saw she was evacuating civilians from the village.

Honoka had been practicing a bit as well and decided to expand how she wanted to use her voice. Since she wasn't with her team she needed to at least be defensive and offensive when it came to fighting. She in all honesty, was doing alright. She could maintain a sphere around herself for 3 minutes if she kept chanting or singing something. Sure it wasn't great but she was getting better at focusing her chakra into soundwaves and using it to surge through the bubble, mimicking what she had seen her mother do back when she was a baby to attack. Trying to create spikes wasn't her favorite past time, but she figured if she kept practicing she would get somewhere.

"Helllllllo?" Honoka shook her head slightly, blinked, and smiled at Kisame.

"Sorry I was thinking about what I was going to do later. Sorry about that. That sounds totally cool man- how did you do it?"

"I just kinda moved over and let him fall, I took my training sword and just knocked him out. A piece of cake." He paused and grinned pointing over at a small slice of cake. "I'd like some of that please."

Honoka shook her head slightly and smiled. "Yea man, I can do that."

She took the plate out and pushed it out in front of him and resumed cleaning part of the counter.

"Isn't your last test soon? Do you know how hard it's going to be?" The blonde glanced up at the blue-skinned boy as she cleaned up the register. She had heard that the Mist had a rather difficult test but she wasn't sure what it was.

"Do they tell you so you can prepare?"

He shook his head and shrugged. "Nah they really don't have a need to tell us, y'know? I'll do fine." He took a bite of his cake before continuing.

They sat in silence for a little while before Kyosuke set out the basket full of treats for Honoka to take down to the orphanage. Sighing a bit she picked up the basket and glanced at Kisame.

"I'll be back in a few."

The blonde jogged down the street thinking about her deliveries throughout the weeks. She could have sworn she had never seen a child come in or go out of the orphanage, and she knew for sure she hadn't seen one inside the building. Still, there wasn't much that could be done for now. Not yet. Her plan wasn't completely finished yet, she still needed an accomplice.

Arriving at the door she walked in and left the basket on the front desk like normal and turned to leave. Before she left, Honoka felt a shiver run through her spine and she glanced back to see Ayako sitting at the desk.

"Tell me Honoka. Where do you live? I'd like to send you a thank you gift for your deliveries."

 _When the hell did she get there Jesus Christ what do I say shitshitshitshit_

"Oh um" _Do I tell her the truth?_ "I" _I might as well…_ "I live with Kyosuke-san."

"Oh? We always have available free bunks here. Please feel free to stay here with us." Ayako grinned at the younger girl and stood. "We are always waiting for new family members."

"Kay- thanks-bye."

Honoka exited the building before sprinting straight back to the bakery. She ran in and panted while rounding the corner to her side of the counter. Waiting for new family members? Available bunks? Hell no. Something was going on there and she had a bad feeling of what it might be.

Kisame looked at her confused. "What was that all about?"

She locked eyes with him and spoke while she tried to catch her breath. "Do- You- Know- Anyone who- Lives at- The- Orphanage?"

He seemed to mull over her question for a moment, taking enough time for her to drink some water and sit down.

"No, I don't think I do, why?" Kisame asked, looking a bit more confused.

"Kyosuke-San have you seen a kid go in there or come out..?"

Honoka was facing the window towards the kitchen waiting for his reply. He wiped his hands on his towel and leaned on the window. He didn't think he had ever seen anyone but the caretakers come in and out of the orphanage. Now, when he gave it the thought, it was odd.

"Ayako said I should join them- live there." Honoka continued as she watched her boss nod slowly.

"I… I have something planned but I'll need a fail safe.. I can go in and check, I can ask to meet the kids. If I'm not back after a while, you can come back to get me-"

It was stupid to let a kid go alone and before he could voice anything Kisame spoke up.

"I'll go with her. If something goes wrong it will be easier to fight back with two rather than with one."

The older man sighed and nodded slowly. "Both of you be safe. We can do it tomorrow."

-H-

Little did I know I was to see horrors far beyond what I had seen in my first life.

-H-


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: Fear

AN: Okay I figured that I'd clear something up reap quick. Kisame is about the same age as Honoka but she doesn't know his age yet. Also he's using a training sword, or Bokken in these chapters because again why would you give a child a chakra eating sword? Anywho this chapter really grabs at the mature rating a little bit. Down the road it will get more descriptive.

Warning in here for gore and risqué situations.

Reviews wanted! Thanks to Emiliano733 and my sister 18 for their reviews and guidance.

Honoka took a deep breath as she stood by the back door of the Bakery. She was down right terrified to go to the orphanage and watched as Kyosuke started strapping a few things to his legs. She noticed him strap a short sword to his left calf.

"Here kid.." Kyosuke passed over a small Kunai pouch for her to use. "I know you've got a few but it doesn't hurt to have extra hidden"

Honoka examined the pack. The strap was long enough to ties around her twice. Shrugging off her jacket she tied the pouch around her waist before replacing her jacket. It was a nice sentiment, that he would do this for her. She would be lying if she said the old man wasn't growing on her.

"Thanks, Kyosuke."

"Are you ready?" Kisame asked as he watched Honoka make her final adjustments.

"Ready, do you remember the plan?"

"We are both looking for a home."

She nodded and led them down the road to the orphanage. When they got there they went straight to the front desk. Ayako was nowhere in sight, so Honoka knocked on the desk.

"Hello? Ayako?" A shiver went down her spine as he voice echoed through the building.

"Let's go look around for someone." Kisame had already turned into the hallway before Honoka had the chance to argue.

"This is stupid." She whispered. "We should have waited for someone to help."

He shrugged as he turned and checked an open doorway. "Better to ask forgiveness rather than permission."

Walking in he felt something was off. There were rows of bunks, but they didn't seem very lived in. No posters, pictures, or even toys were in the room.

"Kisame." He turned to Honoka, watching as she stood up from a crouched position next to a bed.

"These are covered in dust, there's no way anyone slept in these beds recently." Her eyes darted towards the door and she made her way to it. "Maybe they sleep in a different room."

Motioning for him to follow, they continued on their way through the building. It was eerily empty, so far they hadn't encountered a single soul. It was odd, there should have been someone there… Honoka decided to check the time. 7:36 AM. She didn't usually deliver the pastries for another four or so hours. Kisame tapped the wall softly to get her attention.

"Honoka, I found the kitchen, come take a look at this."

Walking in she noticed the smell first. Baskets upon baskets of pastries were stacked up and left to rot in the kitchen. Her face scrunched up and she pulled her jacket up over her nose.

"Gross. This is months worth of pastries. More than I've even brought here."

Kisame went around opening up cupboards and cabinets. "There's nothing in these."

Honoka made her way to the pantry and opened it.

"Kisame... There are... stairs…"

"What?"

Honoka moved over to let him get a view of the stairs. They went down into a dimly lit room.

"Do you hear that?" He asked while making his way slowly down the stairs.

"Hear what?" Honoka carefully followed him, quietly closing the door behind them.

"Sounds like crying.."

-H-

To me, there is no greater crime, than a crime done upon a child. It makes me sick. I wish this was the first and only time I had to witness something to this magnitude.

-H-

When the two had reached the bottom of the stairs, a stench far worse than the one they endured upstairs. There was feces and piss everywhere, the rancid smell nearly making Honoka vomit. Kisame barely kept his own breakfast down as they walked further into the room. There were children everywhere, some tied to the walls, others tied to beds, and a few lying face down in the middle of the room. Tears stung her eyes as she looked over the room more. She saw a few things that she recognized from her first life- and weapons from this.

It took her a little while to think of what the objects were, and when she realized what they were she felt rage knot up in her stomach. They were sex toys. Honoka didn't have to ask anyone here what had happened, there was a feeling deep inside her guts that she couldn't deny.

"Kisame… Start taking people down. Kyosuke should be here any minute. Let's get them somewhere safe." Honoka dropped the eight-year-old disguise for a moment. This is something she felt that needed an adult, so she was going to provide an adult.

"Be careful. Some of them are weakened, who knows how long they've been down here."

Kisame seemed to be going through his own internal dilemma as he walked over to a little boy. Honoka thought about it for a moment and decided to leave him to his devices. Maybe Kyosuke would explain it to him, she didn't feel like it was her place. She took careful steps as she approached a girl who was tied to a bed. It took all she had in her to not vomit as she gazed upon her body. There were scratches and cuts everywhere, there were horrible things written all over her- and she didn't look much older than Honoka herself.

She took a deep breath and prepared herself for what she would have to do next. Check for a pulse. Honoka only got as far as moving her arm over the girl before she heard whimpering and a quiet "No more" before she moved to untie the girl instead. Her mind was racing. She counted about ten children down here- the ones on the floor face down she suspected to be dead. So an estimated seven alive- that's not counting anyone else who could be trapped anywhere else.

Once the girl was untied, Honoka carefully pushed her into a sitting position. She watched as dark matted hair got caught around the girl's face. These kids were sick, dehydrated, and starving. There was no doubt about it in her mind. She pushed her own jacket off and put it around the girl's shoulders. The poor thing was in a state of shock.

"Kisame we better go get some of the blankets from upstairs to help cover them up."

When she turned, however, she was greeted by piercing yellow eyes and a terrifying grin.

"Now, why would you want to do that?" Ayako asked, her smile never faltering.

Kisame was pinned up to the wall by two large men, he was gagged before he got a chance to warn her- or maybe she was too deep into thought to hear him… either way, all she knew for a while was black as soon as she was knocked out by Ayako.


	9. Interlude: The Author Asks

Interlude: The author asks.

I thought I would let you guys know that updates will be pretty regular for a little while. I will be trying to write a chapter a day as an exercise for myself, and that eventually I will be taking in OCs to use in these.

If you want to submit an OC please give me the following:

Name, physical description, personality, a bit about them- or if you have a story about them send it to me and I'll see what I can do. I would like village of origin, level, and any other information you deem important.

You can send me your character through the following:

Discord: ObtuseHypotenuse#4034

Email:

Skype: obtusehypotenuse with the name Kayla Blommmmmmmmmquist

OR you can pm me here! Let me know soon, and expect chapter eight sometime later today!


	10. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight: Fury**

AN: I forgot to mention this in the interlude but I wanted to thank everyone for their support with following this story- it really means a lot to me! I plan on making this story go over 100k words- I want to make it long and updated frequently- however when work starts up I might slow down my posting to every two or three days. Thanks again to the lovely Emiliano733 and 18! You guys rock!

-H-

I learned a thing or two about taijutsu when I moved to the Leaf later in my life. I wish I had bothered to learn it earlier on in life though. It would have saved my ass a few times, but I digress.

-H-

Honoka woke up in a dimly lit room and she was pissed. How long was she out? Who else was here? Groggily she looked around to the best of her ability, taking note that she was loosely chained to a wall. There were the other children she had found earlier and Kisame was chained to the wall across from her. It seemed he was still out of commission.

Fucking hell. There was a noise from her right side causing her to stiffen. She focused on the noise, it was the girl from earlier that she had tried to help.

"I-I'm s...s...sor-ry.." The girl sputtered out from her spot.

She was re-tied to the bed and the jacket was taken away from her. Shit. Honoka looked down at herself, relieved to see she was still dressed, however, pissed that she was stripped of all her weapons. Even the ones she hid under her pant legs were gone. They were thorough.

There's gotta be a way out of this. Think think think. Okay. I know that I can enhance my voice with chakra… maybe if I screamed loud enough Kyosuke could hear me… Or maybe I could shatter the chains. No. Stupid Honoka. Metal doesn't shatter. Uhhhh I could try to get them close enough to me- maybe the sheer volume could knock them out. She smacked herself mentally. That would require me to be as loud as loud as four Boeing jets taking off at once. I can't manage that. Maybe if they came one at a time I could try to… She looked at the loose chains attached to her arms. I could try to choke one out with my chains but that would still leave me stuck.

Honoka was torn from her thoughts by the sound of the "pantry" door opening. She had barely any time to come up with a stable plan... Maybe I'll try to get what they've been doing out of her… It's a cartoony villain thing, right? Maybe she'll take the bait. This will be just like theater in high school… I just need to keep her at bay until Kyosuke comes for us.

Ayako slinked her way down the stairs towards them, that everlasting grin plastered to her face. It sent shivers through Honoka. The young girl still couldn't place what it reminded her of, just that it sent red alarms through her mind and body.

"Oh good, you're awake. I was starting to worry that I hit you too hard. It would be bad on my orphanage's reputation if I had hurt you too badly." Ayako cooed as she came to a stop in front of her captor. "I have customers who would take your type in a heartbeat. Can't damage the goods. Horrible for business."

Goods.. OH Christ this is worse than I thought. They're a human trafficking ring. That makes everything here so much worse…

"Of course we do let our veteran employees break in our goods. After all, we want the best for our customers. Can't have them doing all of the work. In fact, your little friend you tried to help is due to leave tomorrow. She will be going to an oh so loving home." Ayako leaned down and took a hold of one of Honoka's chains, lifting it harshly. "And I believe we will be getting you a wonderful home within the week. The stubborn break the best."

Honoka winced when her chain was thrown down and in turn, she was slammed into the ground. Human Trafficking, great. She wasn't prepared for this. Crazy pedophiles, a little more prepared for, but not this. She didn't give Ayako the satisfaction of speaking back. She knew better. Keep quiet and they can't get to you. Don't let her get to you. Ayako frowned finally and turned on her heel, inspecting her other captors before walking back up the stairs.

Time seemed to stretch on and eventually, she gave in to sleep. She would need all of it that she could get. It was roughly two hours later when there was noise in the room again. Her eyes fluttered open and once her sight adjusted to the light she noticed the two men that were now in the room. Most likely Ayako's "Veteran employees". They made their way over to the girl tied to the bed. No… They can't be really… She watched as they started to run their hands along her body. I've got to do something...

Honoka was frozen in place for a moment. If I scream they'll get upset with me and come to torment me instead… I can handle it. She took a deep breath. Should I add chakra…? The longer she watched them, the more enraged she became. If they get hurt I don't care but I don't want to affect the others in here… If I get them close enough I can maybe do something controlled- the barrier. How did I forget about that, I've got it up to what, three feet now? If I get them close enough I can form a barrier and scream in that. Oh god, what do I even say-

"Hey!" Honoka cried out. "Over here! Get me out of these you bastards!"

Please, please, please fall for my bait…

The men glanced over at her and rolled their eyes. The one closest to her started to make his way over to her. She needed both to go over to her.

"Shut up kid, or I'll make you shut up." He growled.

She gulped slightly and started to hum quietly, making the hand signs she needed behind her back.

"Make me, you sorry excuse for a human being-" She spat back before going straight back to humming.

"This one's a talker Yosuke! Why don't you help me show the fresh meat how it works around here."

The other man made his way towards her. Oh, thank God they're stupid. She continued humming and finished her hand signs once they were close enough to her. There was a faint blue chakra barrier around them.

"What the hell- you little bi-"

He was cut off by an ear-splitting scream. Honoka had been preparing chakra in her vocal cords for this moment. It was a struggle for her to maintain both the scream and the barrier at the same time but once she stopped both men slumped to the ground and she panted, feeling extremely drained. She never knew exactly how much chakra she had, but she now realized that it wasn't much.

The men were back up in a moment, but they had started to freak out. Oh shit... Wait she could barely hear anything from her left ear. God, did she get herself with it? Shit. That was extremely stupid. Straining herself she tried to listen to the men.

"God I can't hear you! Yosuke! Help!"

The man that had approached her first was holding his ears- oh they were bleeding... She felt something drip on her exposed shoulder. Shit. I blew out an eardrum too. Both men were bleeding and scrambling for the stairs.

When they went up- Ayako came down. She looked extremely pissed as she made her way to Honoka.

"We'll just have to break you in first-" Honoka didn't get to hear the rest of what Ayako had to say. She passed out from chakra exhaustion and slight blood loss.


	11. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: I Need a Hero

AN: WOW. I've been really chugging with writing these chapters. Like really going at it. I like to thank you, my readers, for all the support. Iḿ still accepting OCS, so please send one in if you want one to appear and be part of the story! Also, this one is a tad bit shorter than my other chapters but not by much.

The faint sound of metal being ground against concrete gave Honoka the needed push needed to wake up. The young girl pushed herself up the best she could but found out that her hands were now bound together rather than chained to the wall, but now her feet were, preventing her from doing anything drastic.

 _Nnngh… What time is it…?_ She looked up at the door gauging for light under the frame, but didn't find any. _Must be evening…._ Honoka pushed herself back against the wall to get a good look around the room. The lights were still dim, so she could see, but she felt a little off. _Why do I feel so wobbly…_ She thought trying to push herself into a standing position. _Was it from earlier…? What did they tell us in biology- that something with your ears determine your balance or something like that- right? Or did that get proved wrong? I don't remember._

Honoka reached up to her left ear and felt dried blood on it and on the side of her face. _So it did happen- I wasn't dreaming… so that means I probably made those guys partially deaf… I also now know that I can keep a barrier like that and enhance my voice for a total of fifteen seconds when I'm doing it like that. Got it. I'll have to work on that when I get out._ The sound of the metal scraping reached her hearing again and she started to search for it. Since she couldn't hear it very well, she assumed it had to be coming somewhere to her left.

 _I don't see anyon-_ Her gaze fell on Kisame who seemed to be trying to grind down one of his chains. _Smart. Not sure why I didn't consider it._ She looked down at herself again before snorting. _Actually, I know why I didn't consider it._ It had never occurred to her before because sometimes she forgot that she was trapped in a younger body, but she wasn't exactly sculpted for heavy labor. The fact that she was reliving it probably reminded her subconscious that she couldn't do much in the strength department. She realized that she could faintly hear a voice in the distance. Probably Kisame's.

"Sorry, I can't really hear you."

Kyosuke paced back and forth in the back of his bakery gathering more weapons. Neither Kisame or Honoka had come back. He was hitting himself mentally every chance he got. _Why did I give them the okay what in the hell made me think that was alright?_ But Kyosuke knew what it was. It was a mixture of things really. Honoka was unusually calm and mature for her age- a lot of the time it was like he was working with another adult.

The bell to the shop rang and almost mechanically he walked to the front of the shop. "Bakery is closed today- can't you read?" He huffed out before reaching the front and when he turned the corner he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand straight up. Ayako was standing in front of the counter with that damn smile on her face.

"Hello Kyosuke-san, I was just getting a little worried. Little Honoka hasn't done her delivery today, I thought something might have happened- but seeing as you're closed up for the day. I guess that makes a bit more sense." Her golden eyes bore into his brain. Cold and glassy. He's always seen them like that.

"Oh, it's alright. She went out for the day with a friend to explore the village a bit more." He cracked his neck before continuing. "I thought she deserved a day off. I was about to go find them and join them."

"Oh alright! I hope you have a nice time!" Her smile seemed to grow. _How can someone sound so normal and cheerful and look like that… she feels totally off._ He thought nervously. _But if she stopped by… something probably happened. Did she know they were there…? Probably… but she didn't seem like a ninja or a sensory type person._

"Before you leave, I have some pastries I'd like to bring the children. Mind if I tag along?" He asks reaching into the window and pulling out a delivery basket.

She seemed to tense up for a moment before nodding slowly. "Of course, they would love that!"

Her smile didn't falter however and she turned on her heel heading towards the door. Kyosuke held the basket keeping his hand on the bottom of the basket. This one he had modified for this type of situation last night. If he needed to he would kill whoever was in his way to get his employee back to safety. The girl had grown on him within a week of hiring her and he didn't want harm to come to her. The ex-jonin followed the woman back to the orphanage and focused on looking for chakra signatures.

"Here we are!" Ayako smiled as they walked into the foyer. "I'll go get the children-"

Her sentence was cut short as kunai came across her neck and ultimately killing her. He had sensed Honoka and Kisame's chakra signatures beneath his face along with a few others that were dim. Two to his right on the other half of the building.

 _Don't worry kids, I'm here._

Kisame had been grinding his chains against the concrete for what he thought was an hour now. He had watched Honoka stir and was able to smell the blood on her since he had woken up. It worried him a little to see that his friend was hurt in any way, but she seemed alright. _I'll talk to her, see how awake she is._

"Hey, are you alright?" His voice was a little raspy, but it was generally audible. No response, she's just trying to stand up. Her hand is on her face and she's struggling to push herself against the wall.

"Honoka. Are you alright?" He said a little louder. "Honoka!"

She turned to face him slowly, looking everywhere but at him for a moment before settling her gaze on him.

"Sorry, I can't really hear you." Her voice was unusually louder from how she normally talked.

 _Can't really hear me?_ He studied her again, his eyes landing on the left side of her face. The blood was mostly dry, but now that he really paid attention to it, the blood had come from her ear. _What the hell? What happened before I woke up?_ He cleared his throat a bit and sat up, taking his hands away from what he had been doing.

"What happened?" He made his voice as clear as he could. She seemed to take a second but eventually responded.

"I think I made two of our captors useless. It's kinda a family thing- or a thing typically used in my village. You know how chakra can be used to enhance things? I use it on my voice. I can get pretty loud- but I wasn't really thinking when I did it this time. I trapped them and me in I guess you could call it a bubble and just really screamed to my heart's content."

Her voice started to die out towards the end. "I pissed off Ayako by doing that… she will be back soon, I feel it."

-H-

I can count on my fingers a number of years I have felt safe. Living with Kyosuke accounts for two of those years and my mother for my first eight. Ever since I haven't felt safe, just in a little less danger.

-H-


	12. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten: Home.

AN: Hey guys! I'm still taking in Ocs, and I appreciate the faves and reviews! It means a lot to me! Updates will get a little sluggish because I have finals and graduation this upcoming week but I will do my hardest to update at the very least three times. Special thanks to Emilian733 for the reviews and support and to 18 for being my beta!

Kyosuke walked around the inside of the building double checking that there wasn't anyone else there that might put up an actual fight. Upon finding it empty, he searched for an entrance to the downstairs. He walked into the kitchen and covered his nose. All around him were his wasted baked goods and it honestly pissed him off a bit. Shaking it off however he walked around opening cabinets until he reached the pantry door. He opened it and slowly began his descent, closing the door behind him.

"That's her….Has to be…" Honoka was looking at Kisame. "Close your eyes."

Kyosuke had made it to the bottom of the stairs and felt rage course through his body. He was already significantly pissed about the fact that Honoka and Kisame had been hurt, but when he saw the other children down there it was all he could do to not scream in anger. He walked slowly towards Honoka, who had her eyes squeezed shut. There was blood on her face and on her hands. Crouching down he took a hold of the chains.

"Honoka. It's alright." His voice was slightly shaky and sounded a little gruffer than usual. "She's gone. Let's get you lot out of here."

He snapped the chains seemingly effortlessly and had her stand as carefully as he could manage. Once she was in a standing position and was able to take a few steps without falling, be moved on to Kisame. He helped him up and got him out of his own bonds.

"I shouldn't have let you kids go. That was stupid of me. I should have gone first." He was already working on getting another child out. "I should have investigated years ago… when this place started. Who knows how many innocents were tormented here." He shook his head sadly.

Honoka was helping the girl from the other day again to the best of her ability. She was able to untie her and help her sit up. The other girl looked up at her and weakly smiled.

"Where are we going?" She coughed slightly and watched Honoka. The blonde seemed to take a moment to think before looking over at Kyosuke.

"Home."

"Honoka! Wake up!" Kyosuke banged on the door to her room, feeling slightly agitated. Ever since that night a few weeks ago, her hearing had diminished and in turn after the first week, so had his patience. The man knew that he needed to cut her some slack but at the same time, it was getting frustrating. He had taken her off the front counter a while ago when she started messing up orders and replaced her with Madoka; one of the girls that they rescued from the orphanage. He had decided to adopt one of the children and helped the other children find homes or a better orphanage.

However, he kept Honoka on board, but moved her into the kitchen instead and started teaching her how he made his pastries. It was a little hard at first but she eventually got the hang of it. Albeit she had to carry the timer with her whenever she moved stations to ensure that something didn't end up burning.

"Coming…!" She called out and he heard her stumble around the room getting ready. She was out a few minutes after. "Sorry I was out late last night training."

 _That's right._ He had forgotten that recently she had been training with her team at night. _I forgot she's a genin. She barely ranks as a genin in this village but with the snow- I can see how she is one._ Kyosuke had meant to watch her train one of these days, but she always left late into the night and sometimes wasn't home until the early morning.

"You need to start making a schedule that doesn't kill you. Make sure your teammates know how long you are normally up." He was careful to keep to her right side so that she could hear him better. "That way you don't fall over from exhaustion one of these days.

She laughed lightly and rubbed her neck. "Sorry, I just like to keep busy." The young girl skipped a few stairs on her way down. "I call cake station!"

He chuckled as he watched her bounce down the stairs and practically sprint into the kitchen. Arriving at the bottom of the stairs about a minute later he turned the corner to see her already setting up and putting a timer around her neck. Taking down a few baskets from the top of the cabinets, he grunted as he felt his arm lock up a bit. _I'm only taking down baskets, this shouldn't hurt this much…_ Waiting a moment before he continued to move them down he made a mental note to make a visit to the doctor's office.

"Alright kiddo. We have three cakes that we for sure need to make today. A wedding cake and two birthday cakes." He tossed her a small notepad containing the orders. "I want you to get those done and I'll do the ones we keep in the shop for drop-ins,"

"Yes, sir!" Honoka caught the notepad and flipped it open. Walking around the kitchen she gathered her ingredients and got to work on making the actual cakes. Two vanilla, one chocolate, two with strawberry filling one with vanilla filling. She had this in the bag. While she was working on the cakes her mind wandered to what she had done last night.

"Honoka- no-you're off tune." Kuro was reprimanding her. How did she get so tone deaf?

"Sorry, Kuro-kun." She replied. "Can we try again?" He groaned a bit and nodded.

"Yea. Go again."

He started them off and scolded her every so often. Tadashi, however, had been on the sidelines watching them practice. _She's partially deaf._ He thought as he noticed her shift so Kuro was on her right side. _I wonder how that happened. It would explain how she's been the past few weeks._

Honoka for the past few weeks seemed a little less responsive than before and even talked a bit louder than she used to. When she was training on her own, she seemed fine and could carry a tune- but she couldn't seem to harmonize correctly. _I'll have to confront her eventually. She can't keep going like this. Maybe we could find a solution to this._ He watched as Kuro scolded her again and had her go through basic scales without applying chakra. She was slightly flat.

"Honoka!" Tadashi called out. "Sing a bit louder!"

She complied with him and it fixed how flat she was. It would take a while before she would be back to where she was- it could take years to adjust to her new disability.

The bell on the timer rang and shook Honoka from her thoughts. She had a long way to go still and by hell she was going to do it. Taking the cakes out to cool, the blonde got out the icing and the notebook to see what was wanted on the cakes. Flowers on the wedding cake and on one birthday cake- and just writing on the second one. Easy enough. The shop bell went off and a moment later Madoka leaned into the window.

"Honoka-san, you've got a visitor. Should I send him back?"

"Yeah sure," She agreed and placed the icing tubes down.

Kisame walked into the kitchen and sat in a chair. Something seemed off about him, but she waited patiently for him to speak.

"I've killed people, and honestly, I kinda liked it."

-H-

I've never met an actual psychopath in my first life, but I've met more than my fair share in this one. On more than one occasion, we had been exceptionally close.

-H-


	13. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven: Changes.

AN: So I'm a bit sick as I write this chapter but I'm getting stir crazy as I don't do anything so I figured I'd write something. By the time you guys see this though, you will have an edited version. Thanks to Emiliano733 and 18! **I'm still taking OCs, that closes once I get to chapter fifteen.**

"What do you mean you liked it? Why did you-"

Honoka was honestly handling it a bit better than an eight-year-old should, but her twenty-something brain was working overdrive. _I know this is a ninja village but he just took his test what kind of-_ A brief flashback of a databook page she read years ago showed up in her mind. Not of Kisame but someone named Zabuza. It was said he was from the mist and had to kill his graduating class to be promoted. That had to be it. That's what Kisame had to have done.

"How many did you have to kill?" Her voice was as cool as steel. The training she went through for a situation like this taking over her entire being. She was eight years out of practice but it was like riding a bike. "How many did you want to kill?"

"I had to kill two at first. They teamed up to kill more of the class." He paused idly twirling his fingers. "But I wanted to kill more- it just felt- I was in so much control. They were at my mercy and I wasn't merciful back." He looked up at her, his gaze unwavering. "I killed fourteen people total. Two because I had to, twelve because it felt great."

She moved rigidly as she decorated the cake. "I see… does it bother you?"

"No."

Honoka was training alone at the designated field. Her teammates hadn't shown up yet and she was grateful. It gave her time to dissect the information her friend had given her earlier, and time to test her barrier. The amount of chakra was starting to build up better and her barrier was getting bigger. Now reaching a six-foot radius around her in all directions and would stay for about four minutes. As her barrier went down she barely noticed a quick pulse of chakra from her approaching teammate.

"Honoka," Tadashi started, "What's up?"

She turned towards him and shook her head. "Nothing really, don't worry about it."

He watched as she entered her cool down state to try to conserve chakra.

"I hope you saved enough chakra for tonight's spar."

She watched him lazily as he started his stretches. "I have enough."

He watched her from the corner of his eye every now and then and was about to speak again- but she spoke first.

"Have you killed yet, Tadashi?" Her voice was cold. "Taken life from a living being. Doesn't have to be human."

He thought about it for a moment. Tadashi hadn't killed anything bigger than a rabbit, but why would she ask him something like that.

"Rodents, a couple rabbits… why?"

"How did that make you feel?" Her eyes bore into him, almost like she was calculating something.

"A bit sad but it was necessary. In order for me to live they had to die…"

She nodded a bit and continued with her own stretches. Honoka had a goal now, something she wanted to do for the rest of her life. Find people with tendencies like Kisame would start to develop more, and help them create a moral code. To teach them when enough is enough, and she knew exactly how she was going to do it.

Kuro had joined up with them a few minutes later and was asked the same questions. His answer was almost identical to Tadashi's and she seemed to drop the subject after that. Letting Kuro go into his routine of scolding her when she couldn't match his harmony.

"Have you considered learning echolocation?" Tadashi spoke up after watching Honoka get lectured for five minutes. "It would help you know where things are and help you locate more than just chakra would."

She hadn't thought about it. The girl had forgotten that bats existed and that they had their own way of using things to their advantage. Granted she was down an ear, but it could work.

"Here let's try blindfolding you and do some trial and error-" Tadashi walked over to her taking out some cloth from his hip pouch. "If this works we should get better as a team-"

"I'm half deaf Tadashi, not blind."

"Yet."

-H-

For those of you who are die-hard fans of my work (none of you because this is my first book), you will know that my summon animals are bats. You would also know that I didn't get my summons contract until I was twenty-two. I want you to remember that for later in this book. You'll get the clues I only got from hindsight.

-H-

"Kyosuke, next year I'm moving out." Honoka was sitting across the dinner table from him. "I plan on traveling. I don't want to serve my home village because I will just end up killing my fellow shinobi. Instead, I wish to be a drifter and make my own. I plan on learning all I can here and then move on to independent study. I am thankful for all you have done for me the past year, but I need to be on my own."

He stared at her for a solid three minutes before shifting in his seat and gripping his hair in his left hand. "You're like nine. Why do you speak like you're older."

"Mom told me I was very mature for my age. I disagree but what are you gonna do?"

He bit his lip and seemed to be thinking something over before he sighed and picked up his chopsticks.

"Fine, but you need to convince me that you'll have a way to support yourself. A way to make money."

Honoka seemed to think it over for a majority of the dinner. As they were cleaning up she decided on a few plans. "Well, I could bake. If I can't find work in that I can do general labor, and if that doesn't work I can train harder and become a hit-man."

He seemed uncomfortable about her statement but nodded. She had her plans. He wasn't her father, he was barely her teacher when it came to working in the bakery. He was just her boss and landlord. If she quits, then she quits. But that didn't mean he wouldn't miss having her around the place.

"Alright, then I need one more thing." He took a dish and started washing it. "I want a letter every two weeks if you can."

Honoka sat there drying what he passed to her. She could handle a letter every so often, it was unlikely she would have any problems in the future with it. The blonde looked up at him and nodded.

"I'll let you know whenever I can't give you one. Whether it be because of a job or other 've got yourself a letter once every two weeks."

-H-

When it comes to communication kiddos, don't promise that you can do something frequently if you've got odd jobs. It makes things difficult. -H-


	14. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve: On my own, again.

AN: This chapter is gonna be significantly longer so I can set some things up, so you'll probably get it one day later than usual. There's gonna be a bit of a time skip here. I figured I'd let you all know so you wouldn't get confused. It's one year after Honoka talks to Kyosuke- a few days before she leaves. Thanks to Emiliano733 and 18! **OCS ARE STILL WELCOME PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SEND THEM IN.**

 _Today's the day._ Honoka was finishing up her duties in the kitchen. Over the past few months Kisame had been coming by less and less. The only things she knew about him was rumors across the village. She heard that soon he would be accepted as one of the seven swordsmen of the Mist, if he wasn't already. He hadn't come by in a long time. _I hope he's taking care of himself… leave it to him to end up cold killer._

Honoka was still taking the fact that her friend was sadistic when it came to killing, hard. She didn't understand how anyone could be like that, but she could. With the training and schooling she had gone through in her first life, she understood why people turned out that way. Either way, it didn't make it easier for her to know someone like that personally.

Sighing she tossed the towel she was using to clean up the kitchen over and onto her shoulder. As she did Madoka walked into the kitchen stretching. "Oh hey, aren't you leaving today? Are you sure you don't want to stay a bit longer? I'm gonna miss having you here-" Madoka was barely taller than Honoka and she tended to use this to her advantage when it came to cornering the other girl to answer questions.

"Yeah, I leave tonight. If I don't leave now I don't think I ever will," She turned and walked up the stairs, Madoka trailing behind her.

"What about your teammates? Your Mom? Do they know?"

"Yeah. Tadashi and Kuro know, Mom kinda knows. She got it from them because she's still fighting in the village. As long as I'm not near the Snow territories, I honestly think that if I'm safe she won't care how far away I am."

She shifted slightly. "You should ask her though, so she can know exactly what's going on..."

"It's better to ask forgiveness than permission." Honoka retorted back before turning into her room to grab the bag she had packed and grabbed the journal off her desk. She shoved it into the front pocket of her backpack along with a couple of envelopes and spare pieces of paper. Once she was finished putting away the small things she looked into the mirror. _I've really grown this past year._

She had grown both physically and emotionally. Her short blonde hair that she had arrived here in was now just about chin length, she was about three inches taller, and she had switched out her heavy winter jacket for a medium weight one instead. Honoka knew more about this world and how it worked, and she could bake pretty well. Sure it helped she remembered some basic recipes from when she was eight years old the first time around, but she still grew damn it.

 _Do I really want to leave? Should I stay another year here?_ Her own eyes bore into her as she stared at the mirror. It was almost like someone else was giving her the okay to do this, but she knew it was just her subconscious. She knew she had to leave if she wanted to spread even a little bit of change.

 _I do want to leave. I want to see the world this time. That's why I'm leaving. Not just because I want to help people. I want to feel accomplished. I want what I couldn't get the first time._ Honoka turned swiftly from the mirror and exited her room. She turned down the hall and was stopped by Kyosuke. He sighed as he pulled out two pouches and a shortsword.

"Like hell, I'm letting you leave unarmored. It's a messed up world kid. You know that. Stay safe, alright? Write me when you find a place to settle or if you get to a major village."

He held out the pouches to her and she took them attaching them to her waist, and the short sword to her thigh. Honoka jumped up a bit and gave the old man a hug.

"Yea don't worry I will. I already promised. I'll even try to send a souvenir."

Honka retracted her arms and smiled up at him as Madoka came tumbling down the hill and crashing into her with a hug. "I have something for you-!" She pulled away and pulled a box out of her apron pocket.

"It's not much but it's a thank you for helping me last year,"

Honoka took the box and opened it to find a small necklace with a mermaid pendant. She smiled and put it around her neck, Tucking it into her jacket.

"Thank you. It means a lot to me."

 _However, I could also try to give what I didn't get to others too._ Honoka gave her final wave and left the bakery. On her way down the street, she passed the orphanage and shivered. She didn't like passing by it, even if it was to be repurposed soon.

Her first few days on the road went by with relative ease and her rations were still lasting her. She still kept up her training in the evening, maintaining her barrier and defense training. Her bubble was at a six and a half foot radius, and a duration of four and a half minutes. She could pulsate chakra out of it twice per barrier and had enough chakra to do her barrier twice in battle. It was useful for protecting herself but it was a pain to try to create songs. It took her halfway into her training to realize she could reuse songs from her first life. It honestly made her feel stupid when she realized that she could do that.

"Sincerely Me!~" Honoka held the barrier up for another moment and fell back panting. She tried to do three pulses of chakra but it ended up draining her more than she expected. _Maybe I should look into creating chakra reserves._ She stared up at the sky for a few minutes before pushing herself off the ground and dusting herself off. _I'll have to stop somewhere with a library and take the time to learn about it._

Honoka cracked her neck and went back on her way to walking again. She was going to set herself up for the night once the sun started to set more. It wasn't long until she came across a tree that was big enough and hollow enough to crawl into sleep in.

"I will return soon. I have the bounty and just need to turn in the head to get the money. I'll be back at base soon." Kakuzu spoke to the figure being emitted from the ring on his finger.

He wasn't far from where Honoka was sleeping and his voice woke her. She tensed and placed her hand on her short sword, prepared to defend herself. She had only caught the last half of what he had said and it sent chills down her spine. It was like he was talking into a cell phone, but she knew those didn't exist here.

"Now…" Her shoulders tensed up as he spoke. "You're awake."

She held her breath as he walked closer to her tree, trying to not make a single noise. He continued his agonizing pace.

"Let's see. You're small. Your chakra signature says so. Probably a child…"

He was in front of the tree now and scrapped a kunai its length. She could see it slice the bark in front of her. Honka couldn't help it and let a gasp escape her as she pushed herself further into the tree.

"I'll only come to kill you when you're worth something."

As he withdrew his kunai she caught a glance at his appearance, barely holding back another surprised gasp at his stitches and scars.

 _How does someone get to that point?_ She wondered in fear as she stared through the crack he had made in the trunk. His eyes stared back into hers with a bone crushing killing intent. _Holy hell holy hell holy hell._ She stared back shaking. Her gaze never broke. _Sometimes you need to stare fear in the face. I just wish it didn't have to be so literal._ They stayed there like that for what seemed like forever. Honka eventually stopped shaking and Kakuzu moved away from the tree.

Honoka stayed where she was in the tree not daring to move. The fact that just his presence could paralyze her on the spot terrified her. There had been few times in her past life that she had been as terrified as she was just now, and one of them included her own death. It took thirty minutes for Honoka to push herself to leave the tree but when she did she immediately checked her surroundings. Once she deemed it safe enough she let out a sigh and stretched her limbs properly before continuing on her way.

 _If I see him again in this lifetime or the next, it would be too soon._

-H-

If you've ever daydreamed about terrifying situations happening to you and how you would have handled them if they happened, I can tell you now that no matter how prepared you think you are mentally, you're not. I ran into Kakuzu later on down the road. Not that day, but around five years later. Spoiler alert. I wasn't worth enough yet to kill, at least not in the books. I like to think I'm worth something to the people I've worked with, for, and on during these years, but hey I'm not going to put any words into someone's mouth. That's what the review on the back of the book is for.

-H-

Honoka eventually stumbled across an abandoned house not too far away from a small village. It seemed like it was a little bit of a fixer upper but she thought it could work. Before she headed over to it she followed the road to the village and decided to scope out what it was like here as well as buy more provisions. The village was fairly lively as she walked through and it was like a breath of fresh air to be out of the perpetually gloomy weather. The young girl stretched more and put a smile on her face as she approached a stall selling vegetables.

"Excuse me," She looked to the store owner as she picked up some lettuce and carrots. "I have two questions- First how much for these?"

The owner was an older woman who smiled down at her. "Those altogether would cost about sixty Ryo."

Honoka nodded a bit more and smiled as she took out the money she needed. "I guess I had more than two questions. Do you know who owns the building on the outskirts of this village? It looks kinda old and not taken care of. I was also wondering what your thoughts on this village were- is it a nice one?"

The older woman seemed to frown a bit as she took the money. "The house used to belong to a small clan that lived in this area, but the last of them died off not too long ago. I think about six years ago." Her visage seemed to change to one of pride. "This village is a wonderful one. Everyone knows everyone else. Where are your parents? Isn't that something they should be asking?"

Honoka rubbed her neck and proceeded to lie through her teeth. "They're back home. I wanted to choose where we lived and they let me go as long as I didn't leave the country's borders. Family tradition."

"I see. Well if they were looking to fix it up, I don't think anyone would complain about them moving in there. Especially since that means that they would be working in our village most likely. You should be fine dear." She had bagged up Honoka's vegetables and handed them to her. "Just be careful."

"Yes, ma'am." Honoka thanked her and continued on her way through the village. _Perfect. I'll buy some tools and some cleaning supplies and see what I can fix up in there._ She continued going around the village to buy what she needed and at the end of it noticed she was down roughly 3000 Ryo. _So much for saving what I had from the bakery. I can make this last a while if I figure out how to make things I might need._ Honoka headed back to the old house and stood on the pathway in front of it.

 _Home sweet home._


	15. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen: A Bit of a Fixer Upper.

AN: WOAH! I just got the word count for the last chapter about 2179 words! Also Emiliano733, I've got your OC and I'll be adding them farther into the story, I have the perfect place for them, so be on the watch for that! I also can't believe how reliable my posting has been considering that it's finals. I'm surprised I was able to post Chapter Eleven because I had to go to the airport to get someone, but I'm glad I was able to! Anyway, Reviews are appreciated! Tell me what you think! Special thanks to Emiliano733 and 18! **OCS ARE STILL WELCOME PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SEND THEM IN.**

"This door-" Honoka struggled with pulling it open. "Is so-" She pulled harder and was able to get it to move a foot and a half. "Stubborn!"

Despite all that her body was capable of, it was the little things that reminded her that she was trapped in a ten year old's body. Like how even at her strongest physical strength she could barely open an old door. _Then again, it is a metal sliding door._

The house that she had found was a major fixer upper. It was a traditional old home, with a few enhancements. One, the metal door and the fact that there were some glass windows on the front. But for the most part, everything else was generally traditional. Wooden flooring, a decent sized genkan for the shoes, and paper dividers along the rest of the rooms. It was dirty and there was some leftover furniture from the previous owners. For the most part, it was a good sized home, maybe a bit big for just Honoka but she could make do.

 _Alright time to clean up a bit. God, I could really use a radio right about now._ Honoka started opening up all the windows she could and opened most of the doors so that there were almost no walls on all sides of the building. She picked up one of the rags she had bought and a bucket.

"I really hope there's a running well here," She muttered to herself. "or a stream nearby."

The young girl wandered around to the back of the building and found a pump.

"Perfect!"

Honoka walked over and placed the bucket under the spout and started pumping the handle. After a good few jump start pumps of the well, water starts to pour into the bucket. "It looks so clear too!" Her hair fell into her eyes briefly as she worked. Pausing, she took a ribbon from her pocket and tied it back as much as she could. Once it was properly secured she picked the bucket full of water up and headed back around to the house. Trudging along she started to hum to herself a song she liked to listen to when she worked a long time ago.

It took her a total of two minutes before she had started full out singing the songs she liked, letting her chakra pulse lightly and resound the music she could still hear in her head. Honoka was taking her rags, wetting them, and running them up and down the hallways as she cleaned the dust and dirt from the floors.

"I wanna contribute to the chaos! I don't wanna watch and then complain because I am through-"

The girl paused briefly, ringing out her towel and place it into her freshwater bucket. She turned back into the hallway and smiled at her progress and continued to practically dance around the hallways as she sang and cleaned up after herself.

"Finding blame, that is the decision I have made!"

-H-

I'll save you all a bit about my kinda embarrassing cleaning habits. I also want to let you know that because the music I was singing came from a different life, I have no idea how to cite that in my book so yea, don't be surprised if I give you song names and artist names that are weird and probably won't know.

-H-

It was late when she had finished the cleaning aspect of the house. It was still a bit of a train wreck. Tomorrow she would have to start repairs and figure out what she was going to do with herself here. There was a big enough field behind the house that she could train behind it as much as she wanted. All she needed to do was figure out how to get her financials in order.

Baking was her first go to. She had enough money left to buy basic ingredients for a few things and she figured that in a few days she could model the entrance of the home to look like a small sitting area for customers, and set up a type of display for her sweets between the area and the kitchen. _That would work- and then I can block off the half that I'll live in, I think I can still enter that part of the house through the kitchen…_ Honoka walked around the kitchen and found the other entrance to the hallway.

"Perfect."

Honoka pushed the shoji doors into place, blocking off her living space from where she planned to work. It was a good size on both sides, she could even have a guest or two on her side if she wanted. Her heart fluttered a bit as she lit a few candles she bought earlier in the day and placed them around the house. Once she finished and laid down in the middle of the floors. She still needed to invest in a futon, she really didn't trust the ones that were left.

"This would have been perfect back then." She said quietly to herself. "My own place and no huge pressure other than hunger for me to pursue a career. Ambrose would have loved this. Hell, anyone of my friends would have loved this." The girl rolled over onto her stomach.

"I just wish they were with me in this…"

-?-

This isn't really my thing, but I took to writing some things down after someone I had met convinced me it was healthy to do. I just wanted to recollect a couple things that have happened to me in the past few years. I was accepted into something called the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. It was fine for awhile. We did some mission stuff I can't really say here, but I've done my fair share of killing on those missions. Maybe more, but that doesn't bother me. What bothers me, are liars. Lies, lies, lies. I hate them. I don't understand why people can't be open with one another but then I guess I don't fit the 'person' category.

What I want to say- no what I want to clear up is that I crossed Ibiki Morino with the other six members. They were going to spill the village's secrets, I had to do something. So I did. I killed my other members. I wouldn't crack under pressure and I didn't. I went home to the mist to find that there was some… things… going on politically. There were scandals, more than I could count so I left. I stole Samehada from the kage's office and fled.

A man approached me not long after. He offered to have me join his organization and true peace. A world without lies. So I did. I had a few regrets though. I never did get my friend's mailing address. I'll have to find them when this ends.

-Kisame Hoshigaki

-?-

Honoka closed her eyes and passed out for the rest of the night, ready to kick herself into gear for the trials of the next day.

-H-

I know I keep stopping the story with my hindsight, but I want you to know something some of you might not have experienced yet. When you grow up, you lose people. Not always to death, but because they have their own dreams to fulfill, but when you're lonely you start to feel that emptiness. You miss them harder than you had before. This chapter of my life really opened my eyes to that. However, I warn you. Up until now, you have experienced mainly the peace of my early life. You'll read about things I'm not proud of about my life. Things I am proud of, and more importantly, you'll read about how I gained the status I have today.

How I gained my worth.

-H-


	16. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen: My Own Way

AN: Wow! So sorry about how long it took to get this chapter out! I graduated last week and had family over so much I've barely been online! I also apologize for how short this chapter is. I'll make up for it next chapter. Thank you all for patiently waiting for this chapter. Special thanks to Emiliano733 and my sister 18.

"Alright, who had the blueberry scone with lavender tea?"

"Right here. Thank you."

Honoka smiled as she placed a plate and teacup in front of a customer. The woman smiled and picked up her teacup, taking a sip before placing it down in front of her again.

"Suzuki-San, in the three years you've been here, you've made this tea different just about every single time. How do you do it?"

Honoka chuckled a bit before pushing some hair behind her ear. "Would you believe me if I said I forgot how to make it and wing it each day? It always has a lavender base but never the same accents."

"You're kidding!" The older woman laughed before picking up her tea again and taking another sip. "I'm going to miss having you here. Who am I going to get my morning tea from?"

"I'm sure the people I sell to will make a lovely tea. They are paying a pretty penny for this place and I'd be damned if I didn't sell to people good enough to fill my leave."

The woman looked at her a little confused and shook her head. "You say some funny things. 'Pretty Penny' I'll never understand some of the things you say. Where did you say you were going again?"

Honoka straightened up her back and scratched her neck. "I'm heading out for Konoha tonight. I've already got my papers, so I can do it legally. I'm gonna settle there for a few years and then take on something different. I've got to find a place where I can sell and live when I get there."

Her eyes lit up for a moment and she smiled at her regular. "Aihara-San, I've got something for you. Wait here."

She jogged into the kitchen and picked up a bag of leaves and petals before heading back out to the table. "Since you are here for it so often, here is the tea you usually order. Let it steep for about five minutes in hot water and you'll have an almost perfect replica of what you have here."

Aihara-san smiled. "You're such a sweet girl. Travel safe tonight. Send me a souvenir if you can!"

Honoka finished packing up her bag and securing her money across a few different scrolls. It felt like it was just yesterday that she had left Kyosuke's bakery to venture out on her own. It was nice in a way, to know that time passed just as it did in her first life. Fast, and yet, not fast at all. These three years she spent in this home and village was three years she was glad to have under her belt.

Physically, Honoka was now thirteen. Mentally, however, she was a lot closer to thirty. It frustrated her at times, but she persevered. Her memories would start to fade about certain aspects of her first life, so when she remembered something it was written down. Saved in her scrolls she had multiple journals filled with songs she remembered, stories, recipes, you name it she probably had at least one thing saved.

 _Tonight's the night._ She thought to herself. _Tonight's the night I continue on. My letter to Kyosuke was sent out three days ago, so he should know by now that I'm heading out and will send him a new one when I get a home._

Making sure she had everything she needed, Honoka walked around her bakery one more time before walking out the door and heading out on the road.

Honoka had kept up her training in the years that she was away, and she would until she couldn't do it any longer. While the time she could hold a barrier hadn't increased, her abilities to manipulate it had. Attacking from within it had gotten easier. It was a fair trade-off she supposed.

 _Soon I'll be somewhere new. There are new possibilities. I can learn more. I just hope I can handle it._

Honoka had made it to the Hidden Leaf Village four days later around noon. She stopped at the gates, showed them her papers and went on her way through the village. There wasn't a whole lot for her to do right now except for finding somewhere to live.

She walked the village for hours before stumbling across an empty building next to a building called "Yamanaka Flowers". It was for sale and just in her price range. Happy with her find she decided to find the building where she would have to go to purchase the place.

"Suzuki Honoka," The woman behind the desk smiled. "You've got yourself a home. I hope you enjoy our village."

Honoka smiled as she took the keys from the woman. "I'm already in love with it."

It was around seven at night when she headed back to her new place with groceries and a couple toiletries. The place was dark and she tiredly walked in and flipped a light switch. _Electricity, I haven't had this in ages._ She smiled to herself as she set down her stuff and started exploring the place.

 _I could install a kitchen in the back of this place, install some glass cases there,_ Honoka walked around the place feeling giddy. _I could order some tables and chairs over there, repaint the walls._ She spun around giggling to herself before going up the stairs to the apartment above the main store. It was smaller than Kyosuke's had been, but it was perfect for her. Two bedrooms, one would be a guest room or a study. A bathroom, a small kitchen, a living area, and a balcony even. _It's more than I could have ever asked for previously._

Honoka smiled to herself as she set up for the night. "I can't wait to see what happens these next three years."


	17. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen: Fresh

AN: Ah! So I started writing this later into the day for the fact that I'm in a very creative mood. I wanted to announce that I have a My Hero Academia fanfiction in the works and I'm very excited to work on that one alongside this one. This should help me have a decent post flow. I also want you all to know that time wise we are just about in Part 1, Honoka is 13, the Konoha rookies are about eight, and because I started this a bit weird, Honoka, Kisame, and Itachi are roughly the same age. I'm just going to keep it that way for AU reasons. Thanks to 18 and Emiliano 733!

Honoka had pushed a long table into place against a wall and smiled at her work. Everything was running smoothly so far, and if she kept it up, she figured she could open the bakery in about a week. _Perfect._

The store's bell rang and she turned to see who had entered. A man and a younger girl smiled at her, the latter clutching an armful of flowers to her chest. The man placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and spoke.

"Hi, we're from next door from, we wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood. I'm Yamanaka Inoichi and this is my daughter Ino."

Honoka had taken the time while he was speaking to study the pair. Bright blonde hair, lighter than her own even, piercing eyes, and the way they held themselves. _So confident, I love it._ Ino was grinning from ear to ear and seemed to be holding herself back from jumping around the room. Honoka gauged her to be about five years younger than she was.

"I'm Suzuki Honoka, but you can just call me Honoka. It's a pleasure to meet you." She smiled and wiped her hands on her apron. "I'd shake your hand but I'm afraid it's covered in wood stain."

Ino seemed like she couldn't keep it in and bounded towards her. "We brought you some flowers to welcome you in!"

Honoka smiled brightly down at her. "Oh, thank you! I have a vase around here somewhere, let's get those into some water. Here, follow me." With that, she turned and walked towards the kitchen.

"Honoka-san," Inoichi began as he walked with the two girls to the kitchen. "Do you know when your parents will get back?"

"Hm?" She grabbed a scroll off of the counter. "Oh no, it's just me here." She opened the scroll and laid it out. After a moment she summoned what was sealed within it, revealing kitchen supplies. "Now wh- oh here it is." Honoka picked out a vase from among the mess and walked towards the sink to fill it with water.

"You..moved in here alone? How did you afford-"

"Sold my old bakery back home. Prime business spot and on a wonderful property, but I wanted a change of pace you know?"

Ino walked over to her and put the flowers in the vase. "So, where are your parents?" She looked perplexed as she followed Honoka back out to the main floor and to the table against the wall. "How old are you? I'm eight!"

"My mom is back home in water country, and my father passed on when I was a baby." She replied thoughtfully. "I'm thirteen."

"Oh? May I ask what she is doing back there?" Inoichi asked.

"Wish I knew."

A week had passed and Honoka had gotten the bakery ready for its debut. She opened in a few hours and felt a little nervous. Inoichi told her that the foot traffic in the area was good, but she wouldn't know until she opened up shop. Double checking her work, she took in the amount of work that she had done the past week. Smiling she adjusted a vase on one of the tables. Ino had insisted that she add flowers to the place, to help liven it up. Of course, she let the flower expert put together what arrangements were in her store. Taking a deep breath she headed around back one more time to check on the bread she had baking for the morning.

When it came time to open up the shop for the day, Honoka wasn't expecting to have customers immediately, but to her surprise, Inoichi and Ino had brought a few friends along.

"Honoka, these are my friends and their sons. This is Nara Shikaku and Shikamaru," He motioned to the two who had spiky ponytails and dark calculative eyes. "And this is Akimichi Chouza and Chouji." He had motioned to the larger pair.

She smiled and bowed to her guests. "It's nice to meet you!"

Shikamaru gave a small grunt while Chouji offered a smile. Shikaku mumbled out a quiet 'It's nice to meet you' before seemingly starting to look bored.

"I've gone to as many restaurants opening in the village as I can." Chouza smiled. "I love food."

She smiled a bit, feeling some confidence pump into her being. "Me too. How about we go to the counter and I'll set you up with what I've got." Honoka had walked towards the counter with a pep in her step.

Later that night Honoka was sitting on the small balcony that was part of her apartment. She was writing in her journal when a messenger bird landed on the railing and cooed at her. Looking up from her writing she noticed that it didn't look like the one Kyosuke usually sent after her, in fact, now that she paid attention to it, she realized that it was a crow.

"Odd.." She mumbled to herself and unclipped the message attached to it. "Thank you."

Honoka unrolled the letter and began to read.

Hanako,

I was just wondering how you're doing, It's been awhile since we last talked and that was my fault. I kept writing things down like you said but it hasn't really changed much. I still really enjoy killing. Don't be too freaked out by the bird either. I'm in good hands. We're going to make the world a better place. Just you wait. I'm going to go by an alias in these letters by the way, so I hope you actually know who is writing to you.

-Kimi

Honoka snorted a bit and then scrambled to tear a page out of the back of her journal. She double checked to make sure the crow was still there. It was. _Perfect._ She began scribbling down a response letter. If Kisame was going to use an alias, then she would too.

Kimi,

About damn time. You've been on my mind for years. I've heard so many rumors, but I'll get to that another time. Are you doing alright? Eating well? How much have you written? What do you mean you're going to make the world a better place, what are you doing these days? Am I allowed to know where you are or is that classified? How is training going? What type of sword are you using these days? Should I send a care package? We really need to catch up sometime. I expect a letter soon!

-Hanako

Honoka folded and rolled the note before slipping it into the crow's carrier. She gave it a small pat on the head. "Here give me a moment and I'll get you some water and a cracker. Okay?" The bird didn't respond aside from ruffling its feathers and flying off into the night. "Denying free food. Weird animal." Honoka shook her head and sat back down in her spot.

Kisame had finally reached out to her again. She wasn't sure what she should do with that information, but she knew one thing for sure. Honoka was going to be there for her friend as much as she possibly could.


	18. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen: Messenger Bird Express

AN: Special thanks to all of you who read this, even if you don't review, I see you and you're appreciated! At the bottom of this chapter, I will have a playlist that I listen too when I write linked for those of you who might need a little inspiration of your own. Thanks to my beta Caitlyn . Kluth18 who I found out when I put the "." that's in her name, only shows the "18" For whatever reason, and thanks to Emilliano733 with their reviews.

"And so then Makoto said that she heard Haruna say that she heard that Sasuke-" Ino was talking to Honoka over the counter at the bakery. Or rather, talking at Honoka over the counter at the bakery. She didn't mind much, letting the younger girl drone on about her day at the academy. "-likes long hair! I've been growing it out ever since!"

"Oh is that so? Why? If all the other girls are going to do it, wouldn't it send a powerful message if you cut it short?" Honoka suggested as she continued icing a few cupcakes she was going to put on display. "Or, you could maybe not hound the poor kid. I know that would turn me away from someone."

"I don't hound him! I just follow his achievements is all. Besides," Ino looked down and fiddled with her teacup. "I also really admire women who can grow their hair out long like a princess and still take care of it. Like your hair."

Honoka raised an eyebrow for a moment before chuckling at the younger girl. "Well, there are a few differences in our lifestyles that make it so I can take care of my hair." She placed the cupcakes in the display case. "I'm not an active kunoichi anymore, and you're in training. You're bound to get some dirt and blood on you." Ino deflated a bit at that statement.

"However," Honoka continued, "I suppose I know a few techniques that I use to keep my hair healthy that I could pass around."

Ino eyes lit up and it took all she had to not bounce out of her seat. "Really?! Thank you so much!"

Honoka smiled and glanced at the clock. "Alright, you should run along home and get your homework done. I'll see you tomorrow."

Ino groaned and pushed herself up from her seat at the counter. "Alright. I'll see you tomorrow Honoka-senpai!" She grinned and ran out the door.

"I told you to just call me Honoka!" Honoka called out to her but the other girl had already left.

Night had fallen and Honoka was ready to close up shop. Tables were cleaned, dishes were washed, and the ingredients for tomorrow morning were as prepped as they ever would be. The young girl walked out the front door for one last time that night to her mailbox. She took out her mail and hummed softly to herself, letting the cool air hit her skin.

These were nights she tended to miss from her first life. Nights where she could just stand out and enjoy the atmosphere and allow herself to stop for a minute. Memories started to rush through her as she flipped through the envelopes. Wishing on stars during elementary school, pretending they were fairies in the sky. Cooling down after a bad day in junior high. Crying when her dad passed her freshman year. Crying again in frustration when she failed her senior thesis. Content when she finally graduated.

She frowned slightly as she walked back inside. It wasn't the same sky she shared those feelings with. That bothered her sometimes. _I can't dwell on that._ Honoka turned and locked up her shop for the night before heading upstairs through the main kitchen. _I didn't even see the names on my mail._ She snorted at her own mistake as she headed back out to the balcony to write.

She sat down and flipped through her mail again. _Bills, bills, Tadashi, Kyosuke, bills, Chouza Akimichi, and an order from a customer._ Cracking her neck and wrists she got ready to open her mail and respond. _Let's go with the easier one's first. Chouza._

Suzuki-san,

I wanted to let you know that even though your bakery has only been open for a week, it is currently going through the process of being an Akimichi approved restaurant. This is one of the highest ratings available in this village. I wanted to congratulate you personally, but I will be working around the village this week.

Akimichi Chouza

Honoka smiled to herself. _I bet that's how they get benefits among the other restaurants._ She laughed a bit and pulled out some stationary from her apron pocket. _Might as well play along too._

Akimichi-san,

Thank you for the consideration and honor! I want to let you know that in thanks, any Akimichi that comes through my bakery door gets ten percent off their purchase and active duty members will receive twenty percent of their purchase and their team's purchase. I thank you and your family for all you do around the village and all you do to protect it.

Suzuki Honoka

Placing the letter in an envelope she made the mental note to walk out to the mailbox first thing in the morning. _Alright… now…_ She looked at the letters she held. _I really don't want to write or read anything to do with them right now… I'll save it for tomorrow._

She didn't get much time to think further about what her plan for the night was, when she heard a squawk in front of her. Looking up from the table and towards the balcony ledge, she smiled. It was another crow. _I was wondering when he was going to get back to me._ Taking this as her opportunity to get up and stretch, Honoka made her way over to the crow and took the little folded paper from it's carrier. Prepared this time, she took a cracker from her pocket and placed it in front of the bird before she headed back to the table.

Hanako,

I'm alright, a little rough around the edges but I'm alright. Yes, I'm eating, and yeah I'm writing still. I have about three journals full, but I tend to burn them soon after finishing them. I want to cover up my tracks, you know?

Sirens started blaring throughout the village causing her to look from the letter before she could finish it. Immediately she ran inside with her papers, locked the doors, and grabbed her small pack that held her valuables. Honoka sat for a moment and tried to make out what the siren's were saying.

"Object stolen- Jonin report- Object stolen- Jonin report- Object stolen- Jonin report-"


	19. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen: Back

AN: I'm so sorry for how late my updates have been. The job I was working had me asleep all day and work all night. I am happy to say that I am finding a job where I can still do the things I enjoy. Special thanks to pusseytoes for the lovely review, it helped me regain the motivation I needed! Well, I'll end this here. Enjoy the new chapter~!

-H-

I was able to fight as a kid. I kept up with my training on my own to make sure I could defend myself. My biggest downfall is that I didn't want to fight. I can't say why for sure, but I'm sure it's leftover from my other life. I detested violence and couldn't stomach looking at blood. I still can't look at blood very long and I try to avoid physical alterations, but… well… you can't run from things you don't like forever. Sometimes things have to happen a certain way.

-H-

"Object stolen- Jonin report- Object stolen- Jonin report- Object stolen- Jonin report-"

Honoka fell down the stairs as she ran for the shelter, slamming into the door at the bottom of the stairs sending it flying off it's hinges. _Nnnghh…_ The blonde groaned as she pushed herself off of the ground and headed to exit the building. Once she was outside of the bakery her hands went straight to her ears. There was a second siren going off through the village, one she couldn't quite make out, but the sight of others running as fast as they could down the streets gave her a bit of an idea.

It was barely a second later when the top of the building across the street exploded and a figure in a black cloak stood on the wreckage. They seemed to be scanning the area for something, but Honoka had already started running off in a different direction. The ground tremored beneath her and another building came crumbling down, forcing her to rush to the other side of the street. Children were crying and people were screaming throughout the village.

" !" A shrill voice pierced her thoughts and she tensed looking around her for the source. " !"

Her eyes finally fell upon a small girl who was trapped under a piece of rubble. In an instant, she was pushing herself at her fastest sprint towards the girl.

"Nezumi- hold on it's going to be alright." Honoka was working on pulling the Rubble off of the girl's legs and torso.

"It hurts!" The girl was sobbing. "I'm scared, I want my mommy!"

Honoka bit her lip slightly, groaning as she started pulling the largest of the pieces from her. "D-Don't worry kiddo, we'll see her soon okay? When this is all over I'll make a special cupcake just for you."

Her mind was racing as she got the rest of the debris off of the girl.

"Can you walk?" Honoka carefully tried to prop Nezumi up onto her side.

"N-no, it hurts."

Honoka's eyebrows furrowed as she bit her lip a little bit harder. "Okay, hold on,"

The blonde struggled to get the young girl on her back and keep her there as she ran down the street, trying her hardest to get to the safe shelter. _Where is everyone else?_ Honoka thought to herself feeling a bit frustrated. _Usually, a few chunin are left behind to help civilians to safe-_ A building came crashing down in front of her, forcing her to duck down into an alley. Nezumi was gripping onto her as hard as she could, her sobs soaking the back of Honoka's shirt.

"Don't hurt me! I want my mommy!" A shriek was heard from just on the other side of the alley. Honoka panicked. She knew that voice. Another kid that visited her shop on a regular basis. There was another scream before Honoka felt some boil in the pit of her stomach.

"Nezumi I'm going to leave you for a few minutes, I need you to be quiet and stay here okay?"

Honoka was already moving the girl off of her back and into a window well to someone's basement.

"No!" Nezumi was freaking out trying to keep herself out of the well. . "I don't want to be alone!"

"I'll be back okay? I promise." Honoka put her down finally. "Then I'll make you that cupcake, okay?"

She didn't give the other girl a chance to say anything else, she was already racing through the alleyway looking for anything she could use as a weapon. _Come on-_ Another cry could be heard- she would just have to make do with what she had. Honoka burst out of the alleyway at the last possible second, running out between a little boy and a tall woman in a cloak.

"Don't touch my kids!" She screeched out a small bubble of energy shielding her from the woman. The bubble shattered from the lack of chakra she put into it and the sheer force of the woman's attack. The kid behind her had sprinted to the alley she had just came out of and her mind was racing. _I can't lead her there- I can't take her to them. Think think think there's gotta be a way to-_

Honoka was punched in the chest and sent flying into a building. She couldn't breathe and tears were staining her cheeks. Her body was numb and her mind was flashing in and out of reality. The woman walked towards her and now Honoka could vaguely make out her face, more importantly, the flashes of yellow before her.

"Children are much better when they behave and do as they are told-" Ayako spat, kicking Honoka's head causing her to black out.


	20. Updates!

Hi! So I'm sorry i haven't updated this in over a year, life got in the way. I'm letting ya'll know that ill be updating this fic here in a day or two, as well as publishing a brand new one for Miraculous Lady Bug and Soul Eater! Thanks for following my story, and I promise you a long awaited chapter.


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